In which I will be keeping track (for my own benefit) of my daily progress in the identification of the ant fauna of Tiputini Biodiversity Station in Ecuador, the analysis of that data, and the pursuit of my PhD. And (for the benefit of everyone else) I hope to provide helpful information on ants, taxonomy, database management, identification, and other assorted endeavors. Cheers

Monday, July 09, 2007

This month's edition of Wired magazine has a little blurb about a website which features videos of experimental procedures and techniques. Launched last October by former Harvard researcher Moshe Pritsker, the Journal of Visualized Experiments is a fantastic idea that I would like to point everyone's attention to.

The journal's still a work in progress (nothing's gone viral yet), but just wait. "No one has published results in video before," Pritsker says. "Scientists don't know how to do it." Here are a few of the journal's faves.

Testing Visual Sensitivity to the Speed and Direction of Motion in LizardsKevin L. Woo, Centre for the Integrative Study of Animal Behaviour, Macquarie University, SydneyVideo Coaxing Jacky dragons (an Australian lizard species) to take cues from moving dots.Goal Working with lizards as a model for motion sensing.Highlight The lizard actually completes the experiment. It's tough to motivate reptiles to stay interested in scientific work, Woo says

On a funny side note, my husband pointed this article out to me and said he thought that one of the authors of the Drosophila video was Sarah Doom, one of the Boston Derby Dames. He based this on the knowledge that Sarah Doom studies fruit flies at Harvard and her name is Sarah (how many could there be?). Apparently at least two, because I don't believe that is her. Cheers!